View Full Version : ‘The O.C.,’ 10 Years Later: Josh Schwartz Looks Back


TMC
02-22-2017, 04:49 PM
http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/the-oc-10-years-later-josh-schwartz-looks-back-part-1/

In 2013, TV critic Alan Sepinwall spoke with Josh Schwartz, the creator of ‘The O.C.’ to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the show’s premiere with a two-part (http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/the-oc-10-years-later-josh-schwartz-looks-back-part-2/) interview on the show’s run. We’re re-running that now in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the show’s final episode.

Ten years ago Monday night, FOX debuted a primetime soap called “The O.C.” It was a genre that had mostly disappeared from network TV, starring a bunch of unknown young actors and Peter Gallagher”s eyebrows, from a 26-year-old creator named Josh Schwartz who had no real experience in television. And it turned out, for a while, to be a phenomenon and a delight: funny and self-aware, and yet capable of being a sincere, well-constructed teen melodrama. It introduced the world to the concept of Chrismukkah and to many of Schwartz”s favorite indie rock bands. Later seasons were bumpy (though the barely-watched final season was a funny and touching return to form), but that first year was something to behold.

In honor of the 10th anniversary, I sat down with Schwartz to revisit exactly how things were done in Orange County. It’s a very long interview, so I’m splitting it up into two parts (and several pages among each part, to avoid breaking the site). In part 1, Schwartz and I discuss the show’s origins, casting the characters, the music and more. You can read part 2 here, focusing on some of the bumpier spots like Oliver and Johnny’s knee. And later Monday, I’ll also have a shorter interview with longtime “The O.C.” writer J.J. Philbin, who was one of the minds behind Taylor Townsend, Ché, “Je Pense” and a lot of the wackier moments from that weird, lovely final season.